A question about backports and new software

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evilive
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I've stumbled upon this page https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/backporting-av-software-trisquel-9, I wanted to add a program to the list but decided to ask here first, since I'm not familiar with Trisquel backporting. I need the new version of Qtractor, when I look at packages in Etiona here: http://archive.trisquel.info/trisquel/dists/etiona/main/binary-amd64/Packages, I only can find an old 0.8.5 version. First of all, is it possible to backport a new Qtractor 0.9.8 or 0.9.9, and if it is possible, then second, where should I put my request - simply add it to that backporting list?

chaosmonk

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> First of all, is it possible to backport a new Qtractor 0.9.8 or
> 0.9.9, and if it is possible, then second, where should I put my
> request - simply add it to that backporting list?

I just built Qtractor 0.9.9 on Trisquel 9 without running into any
problems. It should be easy to backport 0.9.9 from Eoan.[1] I've added
Qtractor to the wiki page. If you think of any other A/V packages worth
backporting feel free to add them to the page yourself.

[1] https://packages.ubuntu.com/eoan/qtractor

evilive
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great, I'll add more programs then.

evilive
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And another question - are backports confined only to Ubuntu, or software can be backported from other deb-based systems?

chaosmonk

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> And another question - are backports confined only to Ubuntu, or
> software can be backported from other deb-based systems?

"Importing" might be a better word than "backporting" in this case, but
yes.

evilive
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I've added some programs that are in kxstudio's repo, is that ok?

chaosmonk

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> I've added some programs that are in kxstudio's repos, is that ok?

Yes, although I would prefer to use a different source from KXStudio.
For a while their website has said, "NOTE: The KXStudio project is
currently on a break, regular development is expected to return later in
2019. Thanks for understanding"[1] and while I do see a recent build of
the latest version of drumgizmo,[2] it appears to be for their Ubuntu
14.04 repository,[3] with drumgizmo not included at all in their Ubuntu
16.04 repository,[4] and they still have no Ubuntu 18.04 (the base for
Trisquel 9) repository at all. I don't really understand their
infrastructure, but until they are officially active again I don't think
they're an ideal source.

[1] https://kx.studio/
[2] https://launchpad.net/~kxstudio-debian/+archive/ubuntu/plugins
[3] https://launchpad.net/~kxstudio-debian/+archive/ubuntu/plugins?field.series_filter=trusty
[3] https://launchpad.net/~kxstudio-debian/+archive/ubuntu/plugins?field.series_filter=xenial

chaosmonk

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> Yes, although I would prefer to use a different source from KXStudio.

If you'd like to help find a source for these or any other packages you
would like to see backported, I've updated the wiki page[1] with a
description of what to look for.

[1] https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/backporting-av-software-trisquel-9

evilive
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Doesn't a newer package that's available for older releases make it easier to backport (or forward-port?) it?

chaosmonk

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> Doesn't a newer package that's available for older releases make it
> easier to backport (or forward-port?) it?

Yes, a newer version packaged for Ubuntu 18.04 (Trisquel 9's base) is
simplest, because we don't have to worry about Trisquel 9 missing
dependencies.

evilive
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I don't think you understood me. What I mean is, a newer package like DrumGizmo 0.9.17 available for older Ubuntu releases like 14.04. Wouldn't it be easier to "forward-port" it into Trisquel 9 than to backport a similar package from Ubuntu 19.10?

chaosmonk

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> Doesn't a newer package that's available for older releases make it
> easier to backport (or forward-port?) it?

Sorry, I think I misunderstood your question, if it was in reference
KXStudio not having an Ubuntu 18.04 repository. Importing a package from
a 16.04 or 14.04 repository might be less likely to cause problems than
a repository for a newer Ubuntu version like 19.04, because Trisquel 9
should not have any package versions which are too old to meet the
dependencies. The only potential problems that come to mind are
something like a dependency on a package that no longer exists in Ubuntu
18.04. The main reason I would prefer to backport from a source other than
KXStudio is that while they are on a break I don't want to have to rely
on them to always package the latest version.

evilive
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>The main reason I would prefer to backport from a source other than
>KXStudio is that while they are on a break I don't want to have to rely
>on them to always package the latest version.
Well, it can be a temporary solution. Moreover, falkTX promised to return later this year.

chaosmonk

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> Well, it can be a temporary solution. Moreover, falkTX promised to return
> later this year.

Sure, if it's the best source we can found we'll use it. It's also
possible that KXStudio will come back before Trisquel 9 is released, in
which case this will be a non-issue.

evilive
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What is your educated guess as to when Etiona will be released, at least approximately in what month?

evilive
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Also I've been thinking, perhaps you put a link to the "Backporting A/V Software to Trisquel 9" page in a more noticeable place on Trisquel's site? Because those users who don't read our forum conversations aren't aware of this list, I believe.